


weight in my bones (too young to die)

by the_yallfather



Series: Kitagawa Yusuke Whump [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akira is a good boyfriend, Angst, Bad Akechi, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, I don’t hate akechi but i needed a villain to hurt yusuke, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kinda, M/M, Mementos (Persona 5), Metaverse (Persona 5), Multi, Trauma, Violence, Whump, Yusuke gets hurt, Yusuke-centric, a rich one too, it could be considered torture, pay attention to the time stamps, they jump around w the pov but they align eventually, they set up the timeline, this is a one shot but it’s very long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 01:55:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20399758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_yallfather/pseuds/the_yallfather
Summary: A gloved hand clasped over his mouth, effectively silencing him as he came face to face with someone he truly wished he would never see again.orthe one where yusuke gets trapped in mementos





	weight in my bones (too young to die)

_Sunday, December 12, 20XX 11:10 am _

“God, is Yusuke _still_ not here?” Ryuji groaned, tossing his head back against the wall, slouched against Akira’s couch. 

Akira shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t have the money for train fare, and walked.”

Despite the reasonable excuse, they found themselves on edge. Yusuke had never been this late before. It’s been nearly an hour past the allotted meeting time. 

“So....who wants to play poker?”

“Ooh, what’re we betting?”

_10:33 am _

Yusuke’s phone buzzed. Putting down his paintbrush, he sighed. He had hoped to get as much of this painting done as possible before leaving to Leblanc. 

_Unknown Number: Hey, it’s Akira_  
Unknown Number: I’m using Sojiro’s phone, Futaba stole mine  
Unknown Number: We’re going ahead and heading to Shibuya station to meet you, since everyone else is already here 

_You: Understood. I’ll be there soon. _

Running a hand through his tousled hair, Yusuke sighed and stood, stretching. He grabbed his bag, containing his model weapons, slipped his shoes on, and left his dorm room. 

The Phantom Thieves had agreed to traverse Mementos today, as there were a few requests Akira had received from the owner of the Phan-site. They were taking a day off of Masayoshi Shido’s palace to do so, giving everyone a break from the tediousness. He only hoped they wouldn’t encounter the Reaper in their endeavors. 

Shibuya station was not far from Kosei, so Yusuke elected to simply walk there and save his money. 

The station was busy, as was normal for a Sunday afternoon, and Yusuke briefly wished he could stop and watch the people go by, his fingers itching for a pencil or paint brush. 

Just as he turned the corner into the deeper part of the station, a hand grabbed his arm and roughly dragged him into one of the hallways containing bathrooms. 

“Akira-kun, what-“

A gloved hand clasped over his mouth, effectively silencing him as he came face to face with someone he truly wished he would never see again. 

_11:54 am _

Makoto scowled. “It’s irresponsible of him to be this late, we’ve waited far too long.”

Haru nodded solemnly, her soft voice carrying, “I believe we might have to leave without him. He was not to be on the front lines today, was he?” At Akira’s shake of his head, she nodded. “Then I see no reason to wait any longer than we have, Akira-kun.”

Dragging a hand down his face, Ryuji stood up and stretched. “I guess so. We should get going though.”

The group proceeded to grab their supplies and leave Leblanc, waving Sojiro goodbye. They made their way to Shibuya, cramming into a train at the Yongen-Jaya station. 

“Ugh Futaba, _move_!”

“Haru-san, you’re stepping on my foot.”

“Apologies!”

_10:32 am _

Before Yusuke could process Akechi further than his name, he found himself overcome with the unpleasantly familiar sensation of entering the Metaverse. There, he was released and thrown to the ground. 

“You’re pretty dumb, for a Phantom Thief. Even that idiot Sakamoto would’ve thought to question why they changed the meeting location, even if convenient.”

Yusuke scowled as he stood. In hindsight, it was rather foolish, but his leader had not given him reason to doubt him, and he hadn’t given any mind to Akechi possibly memorizing his number. 

“Why did you go through the trouble of calling me here, though?”

Akechi grinned, slightly visible under the atrocious mask of his. “Why, to kill you of course!”

“Oh. I see. And how did you figure out Joker was alive?” Yusuke asked, poised to run. He luckily had his weapons on him, as he was captured with his bag. Sweat slid down his neck, his body filled with tension. 

Akechi sneered. “I didn’t, before you responded to my text. That entire text was a leap of faith, and I landed _right_ inside the hay cart.”

Strange figure of speech aside, Yusuke mentally hit himself repeatedly for giving up his leader’s cover. That mistake was the worst one that they all had agreed to never even risk making. And what had he done? Put his leader in mortal danger because of how oblivious he could be. 

It was unforgivable, but he had other things to worry about. He opened his mouth, slowly turning at a minuscule rate. 

“I see,” he said, bolting down the stairs of the station platform and into the Mementos depths. Yusuke could hear Akechi shout and chase after him, but his long legs gave him a slight bit of advantage. 

Mementos was winding, full of twists and turns, and he didn’t have a map. Akechi likely didn’t have the same issue. 

Slinking around in the darkness to avoid shadows, he clutched his gun in his hands. He needed to find his way back to the main station. If he stayed this lost and in as much danger as he is, in Mementos alone and being pursued, the last thing he needed was to have to fight the Reaper. 

He could faintly hear Akechi calling his name—his real one, he noted offhandedly, which might be a problem later.

Turning a corner, he found a staircase. If he truly was to be here this long, he needed to switch floors and put as much distance between him and Akechi, maybe even the Reaper. 

_12:15 pm _

Shibuya station was busy, but the Phantom Thieves managed to find a corner to activate the MetaNav with. They were all used to the sensation, so none were surprised when their clothes were changed, and their weapons were automatically holstered on their bodies. 

“Our first target is Hitoshi Tsubaya, Mona can you sense what floor he’s on?” 

“You bet! He’s down about three or four.”

_11:30 am _

Yusuke had defeated a shadow that had gotten too close for comfort, ambushing it and quickly killing the Jack O’ Lantern. He was lucky, really, but he didn’t have time to dwell on that fact. Akechi wasn’t dumb, and was sneaking around as he was, avoiding shadows and likely trying to surprise Yusuke. The calling had ceased, and he had to keep his hearing on alert for the sound of Akechi’s shoes. Time passed differently in Mementos, but he was positive it had been a good while. Surely his team would be worried, and come looking, correct? Yeah, he was fine, he just needed to get off this floor. Chains clinked menacingly nearby. 

He was about five or six floors down, but he had just found a station that took him upwards, so he climbed the stairs against his aching legs’ protests. 

With more distance put between him and the Reaper, he moved slower and gave his body a little room to rest. He surely didn’t stay in one place for any amount of time, but allowing his pace to slow eased the tension on his muscles. His hair was sticking to his face under the mask, drenched in sweat. His suit had been unzipped to reveal more of his chest to the cold air, and his gloves were stashed under his belt. 

Yusuke made a list of things he currently needs to do:  
_Find the next platform upwards_  
Avoid Akechi  
Avoid the Reaper  
Fight as little as possible  
Get out of Mementos  
and alert (and apologize many, many times) Akira of Akechi. 

So, it was a lot, but he could focus on the most pressing task of making his way to the next floor. Which wouldn’t be easy, he’d spent what felt like half an hour searching for a single platform earlier. So while the fact that he was being hunted was a little nerve wracking, he needed to be patient. He was good at patience, all artists had to be. Though it was usually under different circumstances. 

_12:15 pm _

The clattering of chains was alarmingly close, but Yusuke had just managed to find the platform, so he was now on the fourth or third level, depending. He had spotted Akechi earlier, and he was most definitely angry beyond compare. Yusuke felt like the luckiest person alive, and while he wasn’t particularly religious, he’d be visiting a shrine to thank the gods if he made it out of here alive. 

This floor seemed to be the most troublesome so far, littered with hallways and corners he had to peer around while simultaneously listening for anyone approaching from behind. He was bruised and aching beyond compare, and his arm was bleeding slightly from a slash he’d received from a shadow earlier, in its last ditch effort of killing him. His hair was drenched with sweat and caked with dirt, and he’d removed the top part of his suit to hang around his waist. His throat burned. 

He found a small corner, shrouded in darkness. It was hard to spot, and if he was seen he’d most definitely see the person(or thing, there were still shadows here) before they saw him. While he couldn’t rest long, the threat of the Reaper still in his mind, it gave him the opportunity to take his belt and wrap it around the still-bleeding cut. It appeared to be deeper than he had expected, so his belt would make for a makeshift tourniquet. His gloves would just have to go back on, and he could carry his katana. 

_12:30 pm _

Not only had Tsubaya turned out to be an elusive target, but Makoto had driven them into five shadows by now, before they agreed to stop and rest on the fourth-fifth floor station platform. 

“Man, I really wish Yusuke was here. Maybe he could cast bufu or somethin’, it’s scorching down here,” Ryuji complained, leaned against an escalator wall in the corner. 

Ann sighed, nodding. “It’s December! Why is Mementos so damn hot?!” She fanned herself rapidly, pulling at the tight collar of her suit. 

Across from them, Haru frowned slightly. “I’m still worried about him. He’s never once been so late, and absolutely would not miss a meeting in its entirety. Something might’ve happened.”

Futaba leaned against the wall, where she was previously messing with Morgana, her arm stilled from its place on his head. “I couldn’t get a hold of his phone, so it was either dead or not turned on.”

“Fretting isn’t going to get us anywhere. When we finish these requests, we’ll return home and he’ll receive a stern talk from Joker and I,” Makoto said, her frown obscured by her mask. “Are we ready to get back to it?”

Akira shook his head, holding up a hand. “We need to go over what we earned from those shadows, and recover more.”

A nod from Makoto and verbal agreement from the rest of the group settled it. 

_12:25 pm _

Yusuke stood from his corner, stretching and tightening the makeshift tourniquet wrapped around his arm. Katana in hand, he exited the hallway carefully, peering around the corner before silently inching along the wall. A few more shadows had gathered, so he needed to be as silent as possible. 

Which would’ve been quite easy, if he didnt peer around a corner only to come face to face with a red mask, further down the corridor but most definitely facing him. As Akechi started running towards him, Yusuke turned and bolted, back the way he had come. Heavy footsteps followed behind him. 

Through the blood rushing in his ears and his own heartbeat, he could faintly hear Akechi shout.

“Yusuke, you know you can’t run forever! You’re nothing without your team, and look what you don’t have! So quit the hide and seek games, and let me kill you already!”

Akechi must really believe he’s stupid, if that was supposed to get him to stop. If anything, his legs moved faster than previously, despite the screaming pain from overuse. 

He quickly found the platform, sprinting down the steps two at a time. Akechi was near him, and. oils easily shoot him if he wanted. And yet he didn’t, which perturbed Yusuke. Did he enjoy toying with people? Or was there a specific way he wished to carry out his murder plan? He didn’t know if he truly wished to find out the answer. 

The floor he was on had less corridors than the last one, meaning Akechi easily spotted him every time he turned a corner. His feet were slipping in his boots from how much he was sweating, running for his life. His body was in agony at this point, and he’d definitely been running for at least twenty minutes straight at this point. Mementos increased a body’s strength, but he’s reaching his limit, and fast. 

_12:36 pm _

Everyone had been patched up by then, leaving them to take inventory on their supplies and go over a plan to find Tsubaya. 

“I suggest we go over this floor and the previous one more time each, since you still sense him in that area, right Mona?”

“Yep!”

“If we can’t find him, we’ll move on and come back for him another day.”

Out of the blue, Akira held up a hand, successfully silencing everyone. “I hear something. Footsteps, kind of.”

There was a period of silence as everyone strained to hear, but eventually they all recognized the sound of heavy, rapid footfalls approaching, and quickly. 

Everyone jumped to their feet, drawing their weapons and getting ready for a fight. 

The footfalls got louder and a rough panting could be heard, as they slam down the stairs like the person or thing was running for their life. 

In a flash of blue, a very familiar mask and suit appeared on the opposite platform, stopping to bend over, hands on their knees, and breathing heavily. 

Ryuji was the first one to speak. 

“_Yusuke_?!”

Yusuke’s head snapped up, bewilderment in his eyes, giving them a chance to take in his appearance. Top half of his outfit hanging down, belt wrapped around his arm and stained red. His hair was covered in dirt and his body glistened with a lot of sweat. Bruises littered his torso. 

They all took a step forwards before Yusuke quickly turned to look behind him and took off running again. Footsteps rang again, from Yusuke and above them. Filling their stomachs with dread, a familiar voice rang out. 

“Yusuke, why do you insist on running?! It’s been nearly twenty minutes now, and we both know Mementos only amplifies your strength so much! I can do this all day, but can _you_?” Akechi shouted, appearing on the same platform Yusuke had, running across without even a spared glance in their direction, his bright red mask visible in the darkest of lights. 

The Phantom Thieves stood, stunned and terrified as they processed what they had seen. 

_12:38 pm_

Akechi was right, Yusuke couldn’t keep this up. Especially after spotting his teammates, standing on a platform and just staring at him as he, quite literally, was running from certain death. 

Thinking about his team made him realize they had entered Mementos without him, which stung. While he couldn’t blame them, if they were here it means he’d been in Mementos for a couple hours now, it still hurt that they didn’t look for him. Or maybe they did. They still came without him. 

But now that they were here, maybe they could help him. 

Just as the thought entered his mind, he tripped over his own foot and fell face first into the ground. The wind knocked out of him, he was effectively stunned until he could breathe again. By then, after he had rolled over, he was face to face with a panting, furious Akechi. 

“So it seems the sneaky fox is finally caught.” He says, chest rising and falling rapidly. “You put me through hell to get here, you know. I had to come face to face with the Reaper,” Yusuke almost smiled at that, if he weren’t facing his soon-to-be murderer in the face, “and then had to sneak around this disgusting place for hours to find you. You’re almost not worth the effort.”

“Almost?” Yusuke wheezed. 

Akechi grinned. “Almost.” He drew his saber, and approached him. Yusuke tried to pull himself backwards, sure he was about to die but his instincts telling him to try, but was stopped by a blinding pain in his leg as Akechi brought down the sword straight through his thigh. A scream ripped itself out of his throat, raw and scratchy. 

“You’re a lot of trouble, but when Akira learns one of his teammates were killed because he was so careless, he’ll be so devastated. He’ll do something rash, and expose himself. Or he won’t care, and he’ll continue on and you’ll have died without anyone who cares about you,” Akechi sneered, before a grin spread across his face. 

“I’m going to kill you, slowly and painfully, and you won’t be able to do a thing to stop me, little fox.”

Yusuke’s vision was blurry, his mask had clattered to the floor beside him, a crack running through one eye slit. Despite this, he could see a vague shape approach Akechi from behind, and he most definitely could hear when Akira spoke. 

“No, you aren’t.”

Akechi whirled around, hand on his gun. “I had forgotten you guys were actually going to be here today.”

Yusuke screamed as Akechi ripped the sword out of his leg, but too weak to move. Tears were streaming down his face, but he could see a blurry picture of Akira, Makoto, Ryuji, and Haru in front of Akechi a little ways away. 

Green, red, and a little bit of black, all blotches running towards him. 

“Yus- _Fox_!” Ann shouts, diving to her knees next to him. Futaba’s muttering to herself, scanning something. Him, probably. 

Faint clashing rings out, but Yusuke pays no mind. He feels the peaceful sensation of Diarama wash over him, Morgana relentlessly casting healing spells. His arm feels better—not healed, but better— but his leg only goes from blistering pain to throbbing pain. It appears wounds of that caliber are not so easily healed. 

Morgana quickly shifts into the van, drawing a faint groan from Yusuke. He’s definitely going to puke before they get back. 

Ann and Futaba easily lift him into the backseat together, climbing in. Ann takes the wheel, releases a breath, and drives the car straight into Akechi. 

The force of the crash causes Yusuke’s leg to bump against the seat painfully, eliciting a gasp of pain. Ann shouts an apology before slamming the doors open. Akira climbs in with Yusuke, lifting up his head and placing it in his lap. 

“You’re okay, we’re going to get you out and bring you to a hospital, you’re going to get out of here,” Akira whispers, stroking his dirty and sweaty hair. Yusuke briefly notes that it’s probably not the best feeling for Akira, but he can’t bring himself to care too much. 

Haru is there, wrapping something around his leg tightly, causing him to hiss and groan. It’s Makoto’s scarf, he realizes. 

“Sorry! Sorry...sorry!” She chants, tying the scarf. Carefully lifting his legs, she climbs in and lets them rest in her lap, with just a hiss of pain from him. 

Ryuji and Makoto are in the middle seat, looking back at him worriedly. 

“What-,” he wheezes again, still struggling to breath, “What happened to Akechi..?”

“He’s knocked out, and this area isn’t one where any shadows can access, so when he wakes up he won’t be in danger.”

Yusuke nods. His mind flashes back to why it all happened. “‘m sorry for ruining your cover...” he manages, opening his eyes to squint up at Akira, who shook his head. 

“You couldn’t have known.”

Yusuke tries to protest, but they hit a bump and his body officially gives out, and he falls unconscious. 

_1:00 pm _

Akira sighs as Yusuke’s eyes fall shut, trying his hardest to soothe him even as he’s passed out. 

Haru looks like she wants to cry. 

“I knew something was wrong, I should’ve gone to look for him, try harder to find him, anything..”

Makoto turns around. “You couldn’t have done anything, Noir. If what Akechi said about running around for hours is true, which is backed up by how tired Yusuke was, then they were here before we set off.”

The ride was silent from there on, Ann surprisingly good at driving smoothly for all the evading they had to do.

They make it to the top level just as the rattling chains got close. 

_2:30 pm _

Yusuke’s hearing returns before his vision focuses on his surroundings. He hears a incessant beeping to his right, and soft chatter around him. He sure as day can feel the throbbing in his leg and the way they ache. His arm slightly stung, but that was it. 

What had happened...?

Just as his vision reveals a stark white ceiling and someone’s shoulder (it’s Akira, only he has hair that curly and fluffy), his body shoots into a sitting position and he looks around in a blind panic. He couldn’t stay this still, why was he lying down? Akechi was looking for him, the Reaper was looking for him, he couldn’t _ be_ here-

There’s a hand on his, and it’s warm. He looks down, and he’s not in his Phantom Thief attire, there are blankets on him, and the hand is Akira’s. 

“-eathe. Yusuke, breathe. You’re not there anymore. Focus on my voice. You’re _safe_, Yusuke. He’s not here, you’re okay.”

He groans as he registers the pain in his leg finally, his sudden movement jostling it painfully. 

There are arms around him, warm and inviting. He’s exhausted, so he can’t help but lean into the embrace and close his eyes. 

“Don’t let him fall asleep, Akira. I just told the doctors he’d woken up.” That was..Makoto. He lifted his head and looked around blearily. Ryuji, Ann, Futaba...they were all there. 

He returned his head to Akira’s chest, soaking up the comforting scent. There was a tiredness in his bones that should be reserved for the elderly and overworked. Though he guesses he counts as overworked. 

A doctor enters the room soon after, and Akira pulls away, much to Yusuke’s displeasure. A soft noise of disagreement is all he can manage though. His hand is still on his arm, holding him up so the doctor can do routine vital checks. His belt is back on his arm, tighter and tighter, he notes with a bit of panic, before it releases. He realizes the doctor was taking his blood pressure, and it wasn’t even the injured arm. 

His head lowered, though by shame or exhaustion he can’t tell, the doctor debriefs him on his injuries. He was stabbed through the leg with a long knife by a mugger (so that was their story, huh) but it missed bone and vital tendons. Akechi wasn’t very good at this, huh?

Yusuke would have to stay in the hospital for another week at least, and maybe longer if the wound isn’t healed enough to send him home. 

“And then there’s the issue with your medical bills, Kitagawa-kun. It says here you’re currently living on your own at Kosei High, in the dorms. Now this isn’t an issue, but your Kosei scholarship doesn’t cover medical expenses. Here’s a list of a few places to contact to discuss a loan, or grant if you’re able.”

Yusuke felt a knife twist in his gut. The dreaded medical expenses. He’d be in debt for his entire life if he got a loan, and he was certain he wouldn’t get a grant for _medical_ purposes. 

Akira’s grip on his hand tightened. “He won’t need to get a loan, doctor,” he said, before turning to Yusuke. “I’ll cover it, okay?”

His leader— his _Akira_. Yusuke despised accepting money from people when he hasn’t earned it. 

“You couldn’t possibly-“

“I can, Yusuke. Let me. I failed you today, letting this happen. Please let me try and fix it.”

The doctor left the room, with a simple “See me later.” Yusuke felt tears welling up in his eyes. “Akira, my love, there is truly nothing to fix. Akechi caught me off guard as result of my own inability to observe situations properly.”

The rest of the team began filing out. Yusuke couldn’t bring himself to break eye contact with Akira. 

“You’re an idiot.”

A tear slipped. 

“I know,” Yusuke responded, smiling bitterly. Akira shook his head. 

“You’re an idiot because you truly believe that being hunted by a _psychotic_ Akechi is your fault,” Akira wasn’t smiling. He was angry, only not at him. He was angry at Akechi, for torturing the love of his life. He was angry at _himself_ for not being there to protect Yusuke when he needed it most. For not realizing something was wrong sooner. 

Yusuke bowed his head in shame. “This wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t-“

“Yusuke, please shut up,” Akira interrupted. “I don’t care how long or how often I will have to repeat myself, because one way or another I will make you see that this-” He gestured to Yusuke’s injuries, “-is not your fault. And I will make it so that you have peace of mind that this won’t happen again.”

If you asked Yusuke whether or not he had cried at that point, he might make a non-committal statement, before deflecting with a rant about the beauty of emotion on a canvas. But Akira knew, he always knew. He was always there. 

Yusuke slept peacefully that night.


End file.
